Guests visiting Great Lakes Science Center will soon get the chance to experience a new engineering design challenge exhibit, thanks to a partnership with NOPEC, that invites them to build, test and refine their own tabletop wind turbines.
When the new exhibit opens February 24, guests will build their turbine by choosing from 12 different blade shapes (or mix and match them!), making decisions about how to arrange them around a central hub, and then adjusting their angles. When completed, guests will then test their turbine in a wind tunnel, where a metered readout will reveal its efficiency. Guests can then tweak their designs to try to improve their results.
“NOPEC has been a passionate supporter and facilitator of energy and STEM education programs since our inception over 20 years ago," said Chuck Keiper, NOPEC's Executive Director. “We’re proud to partner with a world-class educational institution like the Science Center to provide engaging learning opportunities like this interactive wind turbine exhibit designed to teach and inspire the energy decision makers of tomorrow about renewable energy generation,” Keiper added.
“The Science Center is grateful for the support of partners like NOPEC who truly understand the impact STEM education can have on the community and on workforce development for the region,” said Science Center President & CEO Kirsten Ellenbogen. “We’re proud to join with them in developing this unique exhibit that makes concepts of energy efficiency and renewable sources tangible, and puts them right into the hands of our guests in a fun and interactive experience.”
(The Science Center is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.)
About Great Lakes Science Center
Great Lakes Science Center, celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2022, is home to the NASA Glenn Visitor Center and makes science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) come alive for more than 300,000 visitors a year through hundreds of hands-on exhibits, temporary exhibitions, the Cleveland Clinic DOME Theater, historic Steamship William G. Mather, daily science demonstrations, seasonal camps, and more. The Science Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit institution, is supported in part by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.
About NOPEC
NOPEC is a non-profit group of over 240 Ohio communities that negotiates lower utility rates. As Ohio’s largest non-profit governmental energy aggregator supplying electricity and natural gas to over 1,000,000 accounts, NOPEC buys gas and electricity in bulk then passes the savings and benefits on to their customers. Since 2001, NOPEC has saved their customers hundreds of millions of dollars on their energy costs, provided education opportunities for Ohio students and residents, awarded $44 million in community energy-efficiency grants, and helped protect Ohio consumers by advocating for consumer-friendly energy policies.
